Every OG Xbox Game You Can Play Free On Game Pass Now

Microsoft’s first gaming console debuted nearly a quarter of a century ago, and despite its games being incredibly dated compared to modern releases, a handful of classics are playable on Xbox Game Pass. The original Xbox saw the birth of Forza and Halo, first party mainstays that are continuing with the Japan-set Forza Horizon 6, and the remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, which will see the Xbox flagship come to PlayStation.
Despite the brand’s current hardware crisis (will the next Xbox really just be a PC?), it has a rich lineage that has been preserved admirably via backward compatibility. Numerous Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One games can be played on the Xbox Series X/S, but only a select few from the OG console are included with a Game Pass subscription.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
Bethesda Game Studios, 2002
There’s nothing quite like The Elder Scrolls, Bethesda’s beloved fantasy sandbox RPG series. Nostalgia for its three most recent entries is so strong that Oblivion Remastered hype was through the roof before it was even officially announced. But many longtime fans still hold a special place for Morrowind, the series’ third mainline entry – and its weirdest. The titular province is home to the Dunmer, and boasts towering fungi and public transportation on the backs of giant bugs.
Morrowind begins, as all Elder Scrolls games do, with the player character newly freed from imprisonment. You’re sent to the island of Vvardenfell on a secret mission from the Emperor, and soon become embroiled in regional issues of the highest order and the fulfillment of a prophecy that predicts the return of a legendary Dunmer hero. Morrowind is rich in world-building and deep in its RPG mechanics, and is an easy recommendation to play on Game Pass.
Fuzion Frenzy
Blitz Games, 2001
Blitz Games’ Fuzion Frenzy is one of the original, original Xbox games, a launch title that debuted alongside the console. This exclusive was made to give Microsoft’s machine some party game chops, playing similar to Mario Party in that it revolves around mini-games, but it differs greatly in having no game board. This has the benefit of keeping you in the action, but also axes a beloved part of the genre.
A great twist Fuzion Frenzy came up with is letting players wager the points that they’ve accumulated in special rounds. It helps make up some of the strategic gameplay lost by having no board, and can lead to some very exciting games. The mini-games are going to be familiar to any fans of party games – collecting items while dodging obstacles, surviving the longest in platforming segments, etc. – making it a great option local multiplayer option on Game Pass.
Psychonauts
Double Fine Productions, 2005
Psychonauts flew under the radar a bit when it first released, but has since become an all-time classic. It’s long-tail popularity even led to a much-celebrated sequel 16 years later. Since developer Double Fine is a member of Xbox Game Studios, both games are available on Xbox Game Pass, giving subscribers a chance to play one of the more inventive platforming series to date.
Taking control of main character Raz, you make your way through a series of levels born from the imaginations of other characters. Raz’s psychic power sees him hoping to become a Psychonaut, but the training camp he attends has a dark secret. Platforming is mixed with a variety of psychic powers like telekinesis to provide Psychonauts with its combat, and like any great platformer, there are plenty of collectibles to find as you help Raz’s fellow Psycadets confront their pasts.
Black
Criterion Games, 2006
Criterion Games is most responsible for being one of four development studios to create the best-selling Battlefield 6, but its FPS chops go all the way back to 2006’s Black. The game is very much a product of its time, pitting the protagonist against a terrorist cell just one year before Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare would revolutionize multiplayer shooters. Black isn’t likely to leave you impressed, but it’s a competent FPS and worth a look for genre fans since it’s on Game Pass.
It carries a common frame story for such titles: the main character is a covert CIA operative being interrogated about recent missions, which you then play through. Black is a fairly short game, containing just eight missions, but this far from release, it’s more interesting as a time capsule than it is as a narrative experience. Publisher EA scuttled an attempt to make a sequel to Black, but five years later, Codemasters released a spiritual successor, Bodycount.
Blinx: The Time Sweeper
Artoon, 2002
Have you ever wanted to be an anthropomorphic cat equipped with a vacuum cleaner that manipulates time? Look no further than Blinx: The Time Sweeper, which came out just under a year into the Xbox’s lifespan. The platformer is quite clever, giving you the ability to fast-forward, rewind, slow, pause, and record time – the latter provides you with a clone that moves along your recorded path so you can solve puzzles.
Although wrapped up in the goofiness of a cat protagonist and a villainous gang of space pigs, there are some fun sci-fi concepts at work. Blinx works in the Time Factory, which has decided that the flow of time to World B1Q64 has to stop because of its theft by the aforementioned pigs. Blinx goes to the time-frozen world to recover crystals and save the planet’s princess.
Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge
FASA Studio, 2003
Crimson Skies was a celebrated air combat game which has unfortunately been neutered a bit by original Xbox games not having their multiplayer components functional on Series X/S. If you’re a fan of Ace Combat or similar arcade flyers, however, High Road to Revenge is worth a look – it’s still a fairly expansive game, and a lot of fun to play. Its campaign spans 20 levels, and there is a nice variety of aircraft to pilot.